Air-line exhauster for steam-heating systems.



J. H. BRADY. AIR LINE EXHAUSTER FOR STEAM HEATING SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3. 1916. 1,290,703. Patented 12111.7,1919.

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J. H. BRADYL AIR LINE EXHAUSTER FOR STEAM HEATING SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3. l9l6.

7 290,703. Patented Jan. 7,1919.

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I. H. BRADY. AIR LINE EXHAUSTER FOR STEAM HEATING SYSTEMS. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3, 1916.

1,290,703. Patented Jan. 7,1919.

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JOSEPH H. BRADY, or KANSAS orrrnrssounr.

AIR-LINE EXHAUSTER Eon T AM-HEATING SYSTEMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patente Jan. 7, 1919.

. Application filed February 3, 1916. Serial No. 76,003.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH H. BRADY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Line Ex hausters for Steam-Heating Systems, of which the following is a specification. 3

My invention relates to air line exhausters for steam heating systems, and the invention embodies means for alternately introducing'steamand water, or their-equivalents, into a vacuum tank to create a sufiicient vacuum therein for the purpose of drawing the air from the heating systemz My object isto provide-a simple andinexpensive apparatus of; the character referred to, and one which is reliable and eco nomicalinoperation and can be maintained at small expense.

Inorder that the invention may be fully understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which I Figure 1 is a' diagram of the apparatus connected up ready for use.

, Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the vacuum tank and adjacentparts.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a self-openingkvalvefor admitting steam to the vacuum tan Fig. 4 is a, broken sectional view of a'selfclosing valve for controlling the admission of water to the vacuum tank.

Fig. 5"is a vertical, central section of a governor, employed in carrying out the inoperable valve{ 1 I v t 'Fig. '7' is a vertical section of 'a check valve. j 8 is a vertical section 'of-a thermostat.

A designates the radiator of a steam heating system to which my apparatus is connected for the purpose of exhausting a1r therefrom. B designates an air linepipe for conducting air from the radiator A, the flow of air from the latter to the former being automatically controlled by a thermostatic valve D. The pipe B'communicates with a vacuum line E leading to the top of the vacuum tank 1. r

' The vacuum lineE is provided with a gate valve F and a check valve Gr, which former is manually closed when it is desired to out off communication between'the radiator A and the vacuum tank 1 and stop the action of the apparatus, while the latter is designed to automatically close and relieve the vacuum line E of back pressure from the tank 1, shouldthe intermittent pressure in the latter exceed that in said vacuum line. A vacuumgage H, communicates with the vacuum line Eto indicate the extent of the vacuum within said vacuum line and the vac 'uum tankIL- 2 designates a'water supply pipe extend,-

ing into the tank 1 through a plug 3 and 7 provided at'its "inner end with a-spraynozzle 4. The flow of Water through said supply pipe -2 is manually controlled-through agate valve 5, and automatically controlled by a self-closing valve 6. The pressure of the water in the supply pipe'2 is indicated by a water gage 7 communicating therewith.f"' 5 8 designates a-steam pipe communicating with the vacuum tank 1 and leading from a suitable source of supply, not shown. The pressure of the steam is'indicated by a steam gage18 communicating with the steam pipe 8. The flow of steamjthrough the pipe 8 is manual'ly'controlled' by a gate valve9 and automatically "controlled by a governor 10 and 'a self-opening valve 11. The governor 10 is closed by vacuum in the tank 1 with which it communicates through a pipe 12,

and may be of any suitable type, but I prefer to employ the one disclosed-in my copending applicationSer'ialNo. 37,192.

The-valves 6 and 11 are actuated by fluid under pressure consisting, preferably, of air leading from a compressed air'tank 13 through pipes 14, 15, 16, and 17, which lattertw'o communicate, respectively, with the valves 6' and 11. The flow'of air from the pipe 15 into the pipe 16 is automatically controlled by a thermostat 18, which extends into the vacuum tank 1 and is controlled by the temperature therein. Said governor 10 consists, preferably, of a valve 24, a resilient bellows 25 for normally holding said valve 24 in open'position, a coil spring 26 and a nut 27 --'for regulating the tension of the bellows 25. The interior of the bellows 25 communicates with the top of the vacuum tank 1 through the pipe 12, so that when the vacuum within thetank attains apredetermined degree the air or other fluid within said bellows is exhausted, causingthesame to contract and close the valve 24.

The Lself-closing valve 6' embodies a valve plug 29, a resilient bellows connected to the valve stem to actuate the valve plug 29,

and a chamber 31 in-whichthe bellows30 is operably-mounted. The chamber 31 communicates with the pipe 16, so that when air under pressure flows therethrough' it' enters the chamber 31 and compresses the bellows 30, thus unseating the valve 29.

The valve 11 is similar in construction to the valve 6, excepting that its valve plug 33' is located above instead of below its seat. Thus when the bellows 34 is' compressed by air under pressure entering the chamber 35, the valveplug 33 is seated instead of opened.

The thermostat 18 may beoi any suitable form. In Fig. 8, of the drawings I have shown it consisting'of a body 37 having an inlet duct 38 communicating with the pipe 15, and an outlet duct 39 communicating .with'the pipe 1-6.- The inlet duct 38' is con- 7 trolled by a valve 40 pivotally-connected at one end; to a lever 42, the'oppositeend 43 of which is enlarged and is held by a spring against a' diaphragm 44,=Which constitutes a portion of one wall'of a duct 46, one branch of which communicates With-the duct 38 and another with a leak p'ort47. The leak port .47 is controlled by a valve 49 loosely connected to the lever 42. The body37 has: an expansible member 50 which is fixed at one end to said body and projects into the tank -1. n A glass rod or tube51f, or other element, capable of less expansion or contraction than themember 50 when subjected to variations in temperature, is heldat its inner end against the inner end" of the-member 50 by a'coil spring 53 and is connected at its outer end to a lever 54; bearing at one end against a spring 55 and at its opposite against a lever 56 connected to the valve 49. By

' loosely connecting the valve 49 to the-lever 42, these parts arefree to operate independentlyof each other, the valve 49, to open and 'close'the leak port 47, and the'lever' 42 to actuate the valve 40. A spring 59 pressing against the lever 56, causes the same,

when relieved of the pressure otthe lever 54, to'close the valve 49. The temperature inthe vacuum tankl is'indicatfed by athermometer 19 and the water level in said tank is indicated by a glass gage 20. A drain pipe 21 leads from the lower p ortion of the tank 1 and has a check valve 22; which-opens outwardly and permits the water to escape from the tank. v g V Assuming that all of the'handcontrolled valves are'open the operation is substantially as follows: The governor lO'and-the valve 11 beingself-opening allow steam-to enter the tank 1 and expelthe air therefrom through the drain pipe 21.

-When the steam has raised thetemperature in-the tank 1 to a predetermined degree, the expansive element 50 elongates andpermits; the spring. 53 to move the element 51' inward to the position disclosed by Fig. 8. This action, through the iiitermediacyof the levers 54 and 56,

opens the valve 49 andpermits aportion of the air to leak from the duct 46 through the p'ort'47'. This relieves the diaphragm 44 of sufiicient pressure to allow the spring 45 to move the lever 42 to position to open the valve 40, thus permitting air under pressure to flow from pipe 15 into pipe 16, which conducts it to the chambers 31 and 35 of the; valves 6 and 11, the respective, bellows 30 and 34 of which are thereby compressed, the'bellows 31. opening the valveplug 29 to admit water tothe tank 1 and the bellows -uum in the tank 1 and the pipeEis lowered to; a predetermined point the'expansive element 50 contracts and pushes the "element 51 outward, thus allowing the spring- 59 to close the valvej49 and cutgoff the flow of airthrough the leak port 47. I The pressure in the'duct 46 then increases andforces the diaphragm 44 outwardly, causing it to move the lever 42 to position to close the valve 40 and shut off further flow of air through the pipe 16. The air; under pressure in said pipe 16, then leaksout around the loosely fitting stem of thevalve'40 andallows the bellows 30 and 34 to expand, the bellows 3O closing the valve 6 and thus shutting off the ,water, and the bellow s34 opening the valve 11 to allow stefamto-floW-therethrough to the tank 1.

From the foregoing description] it, will be understood that steam and water arealterna'tely introducedinto the; tank to intermittently produce a vacuum therein for th e purpose of exhausting the air from the I vacuum line E, and these cycles of operation continue; automatically until; manually checked by closing the valves 5 and9. While. I have shown and v described the the right to make such changes in the construction, combination and arrangement of partsas properly fall within the splrit and scope of the claims; I

7 Having thus" described my invention, hat

preferred form of my invention, I; reserve I claim and desire to secure by Letters'Pat- 1 ent, is

1. In an apparatus of the character described, a vacuum: tank, means for alternately conducting fluids of unequal temperature to said tank ,to-crea te avacuum therein, automatioyalves 1501' controlling the flow of said fluids to the tank, means controlled by the temperature in the tank for actuating said valves, and a pressure operated valve communicating with the vacuum tank to admit steam when the pressure exceeds a predetermined point and adapted to partly control the flow of one of the fluids to the tank.

2. In an. apparatus of the character de scribed, a vacuum tank, steam and water connections leading to said tank, valves for controlling said steam and water connections, fluid under pressure for actuating said valves, a thermostatic device projecting into the vacuum tank and arranged to control 15 of steam to the vacuum tank, and a connec- V tion between said pressure operated valve 20 Eng the vacuum tank, for the purpose specie In testimony whereof I aifix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH H. BRADY. Witnesses:

NATT W. DOWNES, F. G. FISCHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G. 

